Adam scanned his attribute panel, noting the usual shifts, but two stats caught his eye: "Total Resistance" And "Special."
"Total Resistance" Had surged from 0 to 150, while "Special" climbed from 20 to 60.
The spike in resistance clearly tied to "Curse Immunity" And "Dark Attribute Resistance."
As for "Special." Adam hadn't fully cracked its meaning, though he suspected it related to high-tier classes.
Snapping back, Adam turned from Dorgan's grave, feeling the jungle's breeze rustle his wide priestly robes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the night sky, dazzling lights flared.
In a blink, Adam summoned thirteen Archangel Flames, leaving just two of the fifteen scrolls in his item box.
"Go. Slaughter every monster in this forest." Adam commanded with a casual wave.
His experience gauge sat at 17,250/10,000, roughly 2,000 shy of 20,000.
"Pity the Archangel Flames' duration is limited. Will I hit 20,000?" Adam mused. With enough experience for one level but not two, he held off on leveling.
As the Archangel Flames vanished into the forest, Adam settled on a stone, heedless of the decayed leaves and dirt.
He retrieved the Orb of Death, carefully infusing it with mana, and pulled out the bark scroll Dorgan had entrusted to him.
"Decipher Magic!"
A faint magical glow shimmered in Adam's eyes as he studied the scroll.
Its text, in the Forest Gnomes' unique script, would've been illegible without this spell.
The next day, Firemiddle Month, August 29th, dawn broke at the Great Swamp's edge.
Leinas' bloodstains had dried black, her once-silky blonde hair now a tangled mess, her appearance haggard.
She'd clearly lingered here for some time.
"Two days already." Leinas murmured, glancing into the swamp's depths, her eyes heavy with fatigue as she leaned against a sturdy tree.
The swamp's edge was perilous, with monsters emerging sporadically, forcing her to clear them.
Since the Archangel Flame had brought her out from the swamp's depths, Leinas had been consumed with worry for Adam.
The dense jungle harbored dangerous monsters, but the real threat was the curse permeating the air.
"One more day. If he doesn't return…" Leinas gripped her lance, her sky-blue eyes resolute.
"And if he doesn't?" A voice called from nearby.
Leinas froze, then broke into a relieved smile, looking toward the sound.
There, at the swamp's edge, Adam approached.
She hurried to meet him, tension easing as she saw he was unscathed.
Though their time together was brief, Adam's ability to summon fourth-tier angels and his unique alchemy had left an impression.
Leinas suspected Adam had his own motives for coming here, but ultimately, he was driven by her curse.
"I'd leave. If a powerhouse like you died in there, I'd just be throwing my life away." Leinas said, straightening her spine, maintaining an aristocratic grace despite her disheveled state.
Adam shrugged. "That stings."
"Hmph." Leinas' deep blue eyes rolled. "You don't look heartbroken, Sir Adam."
"About the curse, I've got a lead." Adam said, cutting to the chase.
Given Leinas' readiness to sacrifice anything, her waiting here meant she'd pinned her hopes on him.
Leinas' pupils constricted as she stared at him.
"No need for shock, Lady Leinas." Adam said, stepping closer. "If you're ready, we can start now."
Leinas had gained the Cursed Knight class after killing a Forest Gnome, becoming tainted by curse energy.
Adam had once chalked it up to luck, but the Forest Gnome ordeal made him reconsider.
It wasn't just luck!
The valley's monsters, rotted by the curse, had destroyed the Forest Gnome tribe, yet none had become Cursed Knights.
"What materials do you need?" Leinas asked, her voice trembling.
"Nothing. Drink this." Adam replied, shaking his head and producing a murky alchemical potion laced with herb residue.
It looked haphazardly made.
Leinas glanced at Adam, then the potion. "Alright."
She downed it in one gulp, wiping her mouth. "Now what?"
"Wait." Adam said simply.
Leinas opened her mouth to speak, but a wave of drowsiness hit her. Her body numbed, and she collapsed, unconscious.
"The blend of Hangman Spider venom and Sleep Grass works well." Adam nodded, satisfied with his makeshift potion.
His time with Enfirea hadn't been wasted; he recognized basic herbs.
Adam crouched, turning Leinas over and lifting the golden bangs covering her rotted right face. He pressed a finger to her forehead.
No morbid curiosity here.
Passive: Magic Infusion!
Under Adam's control, a faint stream of curse energy flowed from his fingertip into Leinas' body.
Back in the capital, he'd experimented on that troll, so he was practiced at channeling energy into a body.
Instantly, her rotted right face twitched, but Leinas, unconscious, made no sound.
Adam continued, unhurried.
As the curse energy grew, it stirred Leinas' own chaotic curse energy, which began absorbing his infusion.
"It's working." Adam's eyes gleamed.
In the swamp's outer forest, he'd noticed Leinas' curse worsened after killing monsters.
If his Cursed Knight class could level up by absorbing external curse energy, the reverse should hold.
Adam guided Leinas' disordered curse energy with his controlled infusion.
The writhing rot on her cheek slowed, then shrank.
In minutes, the rot vanished, her right face restored to the same pale clarity as her left.
"Success." Adam said, withdrawing his finger from her forehead. "Talent is something else."
Her half-rotted face and the stability of her curse energy during his infusion confirmed it.
Leinas was born for the Cursed Knight class.
Previously, she merely possessed the class. Now, with Adam's help, her Cursed Knight level had stabilized at 1, in game terms.
Half an hour later, Leinas stirred, clutching her aching head.
What was in that drink?
Propping herself up, she spotted Adam nearby, toying with a black stone.
"You…" Leinas began, her hand instinctively touching her right cheek.
Feeling smooth skin, she froze, fumbling for a mirror and staring at her restored face.
After a long moment, her eyes reddened. "Thank you."
"Congratulations on your recovery, Lady Leinas." Adam said.
Leinas stood stiffly, reflexively reaching to cover her face with her hair, then paused, realizing she no longer needed to.
Instead of pulling it down, she tucked her golden locks behind her ear.
"Sir Adam, is your adventurer team hiring?" Leinas asked, her refined, pale face catching the sunlight, her blonde hair glinting.
***
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